What type of fan are you?

[jenna]

I've noticed a lot of OT fans joining the boards recently, and it got me thinking: why are so many OT fans so adverse to other versions (Shredder not being the villain one of many peeves I read on a daily basis)? And that got me thinking even more, about what makes the tmnt special to different people. So.....................

What attracts you to the tmnt? What type of category would you put yourself in as a fan? This needn't be whatfirst attracted you to the tmnt, but what is it that makes you still love them? what makes you lof onto the Technodrome every day to talk about them? Are they one in a whole group of fandoms that you enjoy? or is it specific only to the tmnt?

For me, it is the characters.

I love film and fiction with interesting characters and nothing for me has ever surpassed the tmnt characters. I know they are slightly generic (the leader, the intellect, the funny one, the bitter one) but there is something so unique about them on top of this that I've never been able to let it go. My parents are psychologists and I have also studied psychology and film 1, 2k3 and the new film are all wonderful explorations of psychology. It's what I love.

I don't have any other similar obsessions. I don't watch much TV these days and have never been into comic books (until now :D )

The bottom line for me is that there was the OT with good characters, film 1 with wonderful characters, which was my first experience of psychological analysis of the characters and then The good ol' Technodrome and my fellow dromers taught me the rest, got me into the comics which are fab.

Why the turtles? why not some other characters with equally fascinating personalities (I read many X men comparisons on these boards)? I can't really tell you - I would if I knew. I guess the OT gave me a basis as a child. Or maybe my brain is still fascinated with the concept of turtles who are ninjas.

What about you guys? Please share. :)

[Buslady]

What kinda fan am I?
Raph obsessive or just extremely enthusiastic about one specific character I can ID with closely. :P

[Blithe]

Interesting thread, Jenna! This was something I was mulling over yesterday. I don’t know why I am so enamored of the turtles. The turtles are the only time I’ve ever been interested in comics. I’m not interested in anime, manga, video games, sci-fi and apart from The Simpsons, Southpark and Family Guy, I’m not into cartoons. Honestly, I’m not even that eager to see the NT (don’t shoot, don’t shoot!), but for the fact it’s widely discussed here and I’d like to be able to share more with the class.

Yeah, so how is it I love the turtles? The characters drew me in and somehow I found my way to Mirage. What I thought was originally a ridiculous/kiddie concept turned out to be far more well constructed and deep than I anticipated. My perception was so far off the mark that it intrigued me to keep reading and eventually I became addicted. The relationships amongst the brothers, their struggles, their successes continued to entertain me.

The stories were well-written and helped me suspend my disbelief in mutant turtles (and a mutant rat). I was able to say, “yeah, okay. TMNT would never happen in real life, but if it did I can see how it could all unfold like this”. The turtles keep themselves well hidden and their encounters with aliens, etc. happen away from the prying eyes of humans. I think the fact that Eastman & Laird were able to take such an outlandish concept and be able to make it very adult and “realistic” is a huge draw for me. That’s also why I tend to shy away from the old Archie comics and the current “the whole world is crawling with aliens and the turtles can roam freely!” storylines. I’m not saying they aren’t well-written or fabulous in their own way, they just begin to depart from what I personally dig about the TMNT concept.

Hmm. I guess I love the exploration of mutant ninja turtles in our ordinary human world, but when it segues into mutant ninja turtles in a world of mutants/aliens, etc. I mentally check-out. I love the family, the fighting, the assortment of enemies, the angst, the laughs, but don’t need a mutant soap opera that incorporates turtles with jobs or girlfriends.

[MoreCowbell5263]

I'm 17 years old, I first got into it by watching the old cartoon because my brothers did and the movies, however I think the first movie went to theaters a little before I was born. I remember my parents telling me that the first movie I saw in theaters was the second Ninja Turtles movie, and since then, I've always liked the second one, even though most people treat it only a little better than the third one, which I can say I don't like nearly as much as the others, but it still entertains me whenever I see it.

When I was a kid, or a younger kid at least, I loved the turtles because of how fun and light-hearted the show and movies I had seen were. I saw the first movie, and I liked it, at the time I still liked the second movie more, but I was still more into the "cartoony" turtles. I still love the cartoon, but further down the road, I started wanting to see them in more emotional roles and stuff like the first movie. I started watching the NT on youtube and gave the show a chance. I remember when it came out when I was about 13 or 14, I didn't like it that much because Splinter was grey, and it seemed darker, and Raph was angry rather than funny like in the OT. After a while, I realized exactly how much better the first movie was than the others and, as a result, started liking the NT more when I realized that it was closer to the original movie and comics.

I don't like reading, so comic books were never my thing, even though I loved superheroes like Marvel and stuff, but for some reason, I just never liked reading about them. I just wanted to watch the cartoons and movies. But I don't mind reading about what happens in the comics from places online.

In short, I started out as an OT fan, then movie fan, then NT fan.

[Spawn Guy]

Tough one. I guess it's just because of how diffrent they were. I was raised on stuff like Fireman Sam, Thomas the Tank and Super Ted, superhero stuff was a major diffrence for me at five. It's hard not to get caught up in the old toon at that age. Then it just kind of blossomed into this bigger world that had a little bit of everyhing, all kinds of attention, all kinds of humor, action andthe just plain bizzare. Maybe it's because it's a parody that grew to become more than that, but compared to stuff like Spider-Man it's just amazingly weird. Kind of like "What are they gonna come up with next?" The family angle helps to. That's one of the best kinds of balances you can bring to any family.

[Scandia]

I like the:

- characters
- plot
- concept
- interactions
- how the characters evolve
- the many laughs TMNT has given me
- how it stimulates my imagination

[SassyGal]

I am an OT fangirl (I admit it freely!!), but I'm not at all adverse to different versions. I always admit that I was not a fan of 2k3 at first because I didn't get to see it often so I spent a lot of the time being confused by the story arcs. But when I finally started seeing it as a whole, I was able to get into.

Anyway, what always draws me to them is the characters. I love the turtles and they remind me of my family, so I can relate to them, even at my age :P The Plots are usually great, but I always come back for the Turtles and Splinter.

The OT is special to me because it is how I bonded with my brother-in-law when he first started dated my sister. Before that we didn't have a thing in common :)

This all being said, I feel I am an average fan. I get the dvd's of 2k3 & OT & I have the movies (except TMNT 3, yikes to that whole mess of costumes :o ) but I have no action figures :cry: & only recently got into the comics (yeah, bad fangirl!!!)

[Masked Ninja]

Simply put, for me it's

1) character depth (this covers watching interactions and individual development, and even some fun writing stories/comics where the challenge is to keep everyone acting in character)

2) they are wicked fun to draw.

[Spawn Guy]

Amen to that.

[Aignatius]

There's something fascinating about making non human looking creatures act and react in such a human manner. For me, it's the characters, and the stories. Not to mention how they handle the difficulties they encounter. And I like it especially when they are drawn well.

[Cascadia]

I am considered to be a very casual fan. I know that is hard to believe considering how many postings I have contributed here.

[Spawn Guy]

By yourself or did someone christen you a casual fan?

[Cascadia]

I did...I am not as possessed of TMNT as some of the other 'drome members.

[odupianist]

I like a lot of it, the characters, the way I can relate to each of the turtles some how, the enemies, the storylines, the variety of characters, the irony (one of the slowest creatures in the world being fast ninjas).

[junkboy]

Nice thread.

1) I am 26, i have seen every stage the turtles went through. Ok, i may not remember the very early stages of comics very well ( just blurry ), but i think my age is still enough to keep me old school.

2) Just one word : "My sons". No other thing makes me feel that nice, when Sensei Splinter calls the turtles that way. I am not a too sensitive or such type either but i dunno why, that word has a huge effect on me.

3) It has a good line of comics / tv series and toys. Maybe the best line of production with Transformers in those industries imo.

4 ) Whether it is the new movie, or the start of 2k3 or fast forward or old school series. or the comics. they all take me back to the golden years of the world. when i order pizza and play TMNT on commodore 64 or nintendo. or Usagi Yojimbo on 64 again. And when the pages of comics were not of first quality paper. lol. i like the ****** old school paper type. Their smell rock.

5 ) the first TMNT movie is one of my fave. movies of all times.

6) TMNT has always been related with Vanilla Ice, (at least for me ) lol. Maybe the one and only rap singer i love.

7) TMNT is really funny in every stage, and believe me i am not even a funny guy ( or funny enough ) but weird.. i love TMNT so much...

the list goes on and on probably.

PS : I like mutation, i like ooze... I like Toxic Crusaders. lol ( if there are anyone remembering those old animated series )

[jenna]

This all being said, I feel I am an average fan. I get the dvd's of 2k3 & OT & I have the movies (except TMNT 3, yikes to that whole mess of costumes :o ) but I have no action figures :cry: & only recently got into the comics (yeah, bad fangirl!!!)

You and me both. I only started reading them after joinging here.

they are wicked fun to draw.

I think that is one of the major things about them. The turltes seem to inspire all sorts of creativity - drawing, writing etc. I've read and seen some amazing art work by turtles fans.

[Rooish]

Oooh, good topic! I also agree with Masked Ninja about the reasons she loves the Turtles. The TMNT are one of the few things I can draw really well (I can't draw people for the life of me!) As a kid I had more diverse art skills, but now it's just the Turtles.

I also love the characters, and the interactions between them. The fewer adulterations (and by that I mean other characters), the better. I love Casey and April and Splinter and Karai and Leatherhead and Bishop and Shadow and maybe some others, but I am perfectly happy just watching or imagining, for all enternity, just Leo, Don, Raph and Mike.

[shuriken]

I'm 18 right now but I like them since I could remember. I used to watch it with three of my cousins and my older brother. We all used to pretend to be a different Turtle with crappy makeshift bandanas and my older brother was the Shredder who used a Darth Vader helmet and a tin foil mask:lol: . Yeah those were fun times, I was always Donnie which is probably why he's my favorite. But the first movie I saw was part two, which was a bit confusing because I had no idea why Shredder emerged from the garbage the way he did. Then when I was like 4 or five I saw it on like UPN and fell in love with it.
I really don't know what type of fan I am. I'm not a casual fan, but I'm not really a hardcore fan either. I enjoy both the old and new series and the comics that I've read. My toy collection right now is at a decent 60 figs and vehicles and growing. I would say that from a scale from one to ten I'm a 7. ten being the best.

[Lady Venus]

I'm da Leo obsessed fan girl since I was 6. I been a fan fer 19 yrs now.

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

First watched the cartoon at three or four years old and for whatever reason it fascinated me. It's what started my interest in superheroes pretty much.

[Rikirk]

Character development and interaction in this genre are sort of the grab for me.
Then there was the comedic element of the 80's cartoon which I liked.
The first turtle movies I think were the first mainstream superhero type movie (Including Superman).
Ive also always loved superheros.
Then there was the dark, edgy 2003 cartoon series which mirrored the comics.

Its very hard to explain why I like this genre, I just do. Does it need any more explaining than that?

[Jester]

I'm 22, about the same age as the boys themselves, but I grew up with the OT. Though It's what I grew up with, as I did grow up, the Turtles seemed to grow up with me.
Archie was a step up from the show, with some serious storys and even some deaths of main characters. (Slash's death is still one of the most moving things I remember about TMNT Adventures.)
The movies were awesome (even 3...if you can get past the non-Henson costumes) and more mature than the OT.
Then came 2k3 it kicked my TMNT nestalgia into overdrive and I found a more gritty TMNT, like the old Mirage comics which i discovered at the time.(seriously, I thought the art on TMNT for the NES was a mistake, since all 4 boys wore red..."Why are they all dressed like Raph?")
I've always loved TMNT, and I'm glad that as I've matured, so in some ways has it.

[Time Mistress]

1. the characters - how they relate to each other, the brotherly and family dynamic, especialy in contrast to their outcast state among the world itself that makes the bond even stronger
2. the martial arts - the action scenes are so cool, and I've been taking lessons my whole life partly inspired by shows like the Turtles and I love superheroes
3. the offbeat humor - it's what originally drew me to the OT

[Drtooth]

I'm an overall fan. That's about it. I will say when i was younger (I was 8 just after the movie came out) and I was jarred by the fact Raph was constantly angry and by Casey Jones existing at all at first, but I really got into the films as much as the cartoon.

Years go by and I'm in High School and my little cousin (only by a few years) bought me some TMNT comics he found in the 25 cent bin. Initially confused by the new characters and the multiple "Krangs" (just so happens the first one I read was the end of the Secret origin arch), I got into this, and liked the darker, grittier style. I really came to appreciate it in college, especially after the new series came about.

I still am a huge fan, and would buy more stuff had I more money.

[TristanHuwJones]

I think a lot of the fans who aren't checking out (actually buying them, not just reading the solicit texts) the comics really ought to, not because I write for them, but because the stories have always been awesome and much of the source of what we have today. I think fans might also be surprised at how much of what happens at Mirage depends on the success of the comic book, given that's where it all began.

[triplexxx]

I think a lot of the fans who aren't checking out (actually buying them, not just reading the solicit texts) the comics really ought to, not because I write for them, but because the stories have always been awesome and much of the source of what we have today. I think fans might also be surprised at how much of what happens at Mirage depends on the success of the comic book, given that's where it all began.
To each his own.

[TheUltimateShredhead]

My fandom started when i was about 3-4 yo with a comic book wich problably one of my former step-brother left, and i vagely remember seeing pictures of Rocksteady(i was big fan of rinoceruses as a kid:D ) and became thrilled and exited about the tmnt! I later watch some episodes on tv. I loved Rocksteady he was my favorite tmnt character back then, and i can remember being a little scared of Krang:P. Unfortunaly i didn't manage to see so many episodes:( . I had the first tmnt game for nes, and my friend(wich is the same friend i got the tmnt game from!) had the four turtles and the turtlevan, i remember we used to play that they beat the crap of the biker mice:P. later in my childhood i remember missing the turtles:cry: . Later i recall seeing episodes of the NT series on cartoon network, it brouth back my tmnt nostagica, and i started downloading episodes from both series. My love for tmnt is the concept of mutant animals being superheroes, fighting villans wich are a alien, a human and two mutant humans:P . And the humor in it, the background music and the animation. Tmnt is one of the greatest concepts of all time, and when i got my credit card and the job, im gonna buy comics, vhs tapes, dvds, video games, toys and other tmnt merchandises online!

[Drtooth]

I think a lot of the fans who aren't checking out (actually buying them, not just reading the solicit texts) the comics really ought to, not because I write for them, but because the stories have always been awesome and much of the source of what we have today. I think fans might also be surprised at how much of what happens at Mirage depends on the success of the comic book, given that's where it all began.


not to be celebrity butt kissing, but the comics will ALWAYS be my favorite of them all. Because, well, they're the real thing.

[Kendamu]

As a kid I was into the old toon, the movies (especially the first one), and sometimes I read the Archie books.

When I hit my teens I discovered Mirage Vol.1 through a graphic novel. I started collecting old TMNT books as well as reading Bodycount and Image Vol. 3.

Now I'm an extremely nolstalgic fan who loves the old stuff to death but still makes room for the new stuff. Out of the new stuff I especially like Tales and 2k3.

[CyberCubed]

I'm a fan of:

- The original cartoon (all 194 episodes of it)
- The 2k3 cartoon (includes Fast Forward)
- All four movies, yes I really loved movie III.
- The Mirage Volume 1, 2, 4, Tales Vol. 1 and 2
- Image series
- Archie series
- A good majority of the toys and videogames, if those count

The only thing I'm not a fan of is the Next Mutation, the Coming out of their shells tour, the TMNT anime OVA, and some of the "guest writers" comics in Volume 1 which were really bad.

Other than that, I'll eat up everything Turtles.

[Scandia]

Something happened today that led me to think that I may be more obsessed than what I thought I was.

I cannot get the Turtles and their friends out of my mind. I even thought "Coming out of their shells" was cool. I wanna watch the OT episodes I'm missing BAD.

[SassyGal]

I even thought "Coming out of their shells" was cool. I wanna watch the OT episodes I'm missing BAD.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

"Coming out of their shells" was hilarious!! I too find that I am even more anxious to get the rest of the OT episodes so I can watch the ones I missed in the later seasons.

[TheUltimateShredhead]

Have any body here watch every OT episode at there air dates?

[ToTheNines]

Something happened today that led me to think that I may be more obsessed than what I thought I was.

I cannot get the Turtles and their friends out of my mind.

Lol, I know what you mean. Everytime i see pizza, no matter how full I am I eat it... I don't even think about it, its like programed into me, I eat pizza even if its at a Chinese buffet. When ever I go to any store I look at the TMNT DVD's and video games, even when I know I'm not gonna but them/nothing new is out. Also, I constantly wait for the chance to use any kind of quote from any Turtle-verse.

[Splinter Jr]

For me its the memories............... ya good times :tsmile:

Regards: TT.

[syd]

that depends on how u define the types i think.
im not sure wut sort of i actually am,coz i really don't kno,i just love it,and i don't care wut kind of love it is,if i must give it a reason...well,i think it's the turtles,action scenes,plot and familyhood that stick together to each other so strongly that get me into.

i shallnot deny that i'd been thinking "it gotta be kiddy coz afterall it's been over 10 years since i'd watched them on tv,i mean the OT,i was a really small kid(very very samll) when i watched tmnt,and as a very samll kid i couldn't get anything more from the shows but excitement then,u kno,kid,
so i didn't take enough seriousness when i decided to explore the NT after i seen the latest movie, which's indeed more than a powerful spread BTW, be4 it was all begin,and i'd never believe that im now addicted with them even in my wildest dreams.so there.

the turtles' attractive personalities i love,the not-a-bit-inferior-to-but-even-greater-than many other hottest JP animes plot i love,and with the impressive familyhood giving the turtles "real life",giving them humanity,narrowing the distance between them and me,not mention the action scenes and voice play...this fandome just nails me from any level!
but i still get no clue why exactly i love it,it just,u kno,happend.;]

...but again whatever im called a big/true fan or not,i enjoy wut im doing,i enjoy tmnt.

[Rooish]

What is it about the TMNT characterization that draws people in so much? Is it much better than other comic book characters' personalities?

[syd]

gotta be.i think.
though not without the rendering of the plot,i mean,it oft turns out the chars's personalities ain't represented very well in the lame plots,u kno,they r just live on each other...

[CudleyCowlick]

Well, it all started because I'm a toy-whore and at the age of 8 my life ambition was to have every TMNT toy ever made anywhere in the world, and not much has changed.

But what keeps me coming back, and what brought me back after not paying much attention to them in my teenage years (when sex drugs and rock and roll seemed like more fun), was the diversity.

TMNT has been handled by so many talented creators in both comics and cartoons, and since I've always been passionate about both mediums and since the TMNT cross over into so many genres... it's an obvious choice for my favorite fandom.

The TMNT has never felt stagnant to me, even when there hasn't been much new stuff happening, I've always been able to find something old that I just never heard of. The sheer volume of it amazes me.